SaaS businesses develop intimate, long term relationships with their SaaS customers. Keeping that relationship positive and aligned over the years is a real challenge. In fact, many public SaaS companies have yet to turn a profit. If they don’t keep their customers around for years, then all that capital invested in customer acquisition will have gone to waste.
[session] ‘Security Built for the Cloud’ Demo By @AlertLogic | @CloudExpo #Cloud
In their Live Hack” presentation at 17th Cloud Expo, Stephen Coty and Paul Fletcher, Chief Security Evangelists at Alert Logic, will provide the audience with a chance to see a live demonstration of the common tools cyber attackers use to attack cloud and traditional IT systems.
This “Live Hack” uses open source attack tools that are free and available for download by anybody. Attendees will learn where to find and how to operate these tools for the purpose of testing their own IT infrastructure. They will also witness a cyber-attack from both sides – attacker and defender. Get an inside view how indicators of compromise are researched to develop security content to be deployed for detection based on these attacks.
Onions Have Layers, IT Transformation Has Layers By @ABridgwater | @CloudExpo #Cloud
It’s a funny thing isn’t it? Vendors like to talk about so-called IT transformation in the context of the general move toward new mobile, digital, virtualized, cloud-centric initiatives that take us to the new style of IT we can achieve in the promised land.
The trouble with media commentary in this space is… we are too often guilty of being superficial. We look at the big picture without talking about the granular components of transformation.
SmartBear Updates API Readiness Tools | @CloudExpo @SmartBear #API
SmartBear Software has updated its API tools, ServiceV for API service virtualization and LoadUI NG for API load testing, to accelerate development and testing processes in Agile teams. Updates to ServiceV enable software teams to rapidly build advanced mocks from real-time API traffic and quickly switch between virtualized “mock” services and actual APIs during diagnostic, load or integration testing in the continuous delivery lifecycle.
Quanta intros Intel RSA Open Compute proof of concept
Quanta is mashing up Intel’s RSA and Open Compute designs
Taiwanese datacentre vendor Quanta has introduced an Intel Rack Scale Architecture (Intel RSA) proof of concept rack solution based on Open Compute specifications which the company is pitching at hyperscale datacentre operators and cloud providers.
Intel RSA is the chip vendor’s own modular architecture design that disaggregates compute, storage and networking and weaves them together in a fabric it claims makes resources easier to pool and pod.
Now Quanta has developed a proof of concept for a server that blends Intel’s RSA specs and Open Compute designs.
The hardware vendor, which already offers hardware based on Open Compute designs, claims will significantly reduce datacentre energy consumption and costs, reduce vendor lock-in and ease management and maintenance.
“Datacentres face significant challenges to efficiency, flexibility and agility,” said Mike Yang, general manager of QCT. “Working with Intel on the Intel RSA program, we have developed our product lineup based on Open Compute to give customers the utmost in efficiency and performance, supported by open standards.”
“In addition, we provide manageability from the chassis level and rack level, up to pod level, so customers can easily pool resources across these levels to support dynamic workloads,” Yang said.
ODMs like Quanta have gained strong share in the hyperscale datacentre space because of their cost competitiveness, and at the same time the Open Compute project, an open source hardware project founded by Facebook a few years back, seems to be gaining favour among large cloud providers. Facebook, IBM, HP and Rackspace are among some of the larger providers building out Open Compute-based services at reasonable scale.
Fujitsu, Red Hat partner on OpenStack-based private clouds
Red Hat and Fujitsu are partnering to develop OpenStack converged infrastructure solutions
Fujitsu and Red Hat have jointly developed a dedicated solution to simplify the creation of OpenStack private clouds.
The Primeflex is a converged compute and storage combines Fujitsu’s server technology with Red Hat OpenStack and Red Hat Enterprise Linux OpenStack Platform software, and backed by Fujitsu’s professional services outfit.
The companies said the OpenStack-based converged offering will speed up cloud deployment.
Harald Bernreuther, director global infrastructure solutions at Fujitsu said: “Primeflex for Red Hat OpenStack can underpin any organisation’s plan to transform their business model by leveraging cloud computing. By opting for an OpenStack-based solution, organisations can run new cloud-scale workloads while also optimising costs.
“Primeflex for Red Hat OpenStack extends the philosophy of cost optimisation, through simplifying system maintenance and consolidating technology updates across the entire system stack, all the way from the underlying hardware through to the operating system,” Bernreuther said.
Red Hat said there is value in driving strong integration between software and hardware in the cloud space.
“OpenStack is a rapidly-growing, open source cloud infrastructure platform that is cost-effective, open, flexible and highly scalable,” said Radhesh Balakrishnan, general manager, OpenStack, Red Hat.
“We are excited about Fujitsu’s offering based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux OpenStack Platform to deliver private cloud infrastructure solutions and we look forward to continuing the collaboration to provide customers with an innovative cloud platform for digital business initiatives,” he said.
Red Hat isn’t the only OpenStack vendor boosting its converged infrastructure strategy as of late. In July Mirantis unveiled plans to work with a range of vendors, initially Dell and Juniper, to deliver OpenStack-based converged infrastructure solutions for enterprises.
How to Configure the Best Display Settings for Parallels Desktop on a Retina Mac
Guest blog by Dishant Tripathi, Parallels Support Team In this post, I’ll guide you through configuring the ideal settings needed for you to enjoy the best display experience with Parallels Desktop running on your Mac. First, and most important, the default settings should be just fine. But in certain cases…well, you know how mysterious things […]
The post How to Configure the Best Display Settings for Parallels Desktop on a Retina Mac appeared first on Parallels Blog.
F5 Ready Program
F5 Networks has recently announced the launch of its new F5 Ready program that will make it easier for customers to utilize the F5 solutions necessary for their cloud environment. F5 Ready will verify F5’s solutions to be able to encapsulate the needs of cloudproviders throughout the globe. This program plans to make the efficiency of the cloud more accessible to the world.
F5 Ready promotes both interoperability and efficiency, allowing for a smooth transition from industry’s applications and services into private, public, and hybrid clouds. Alex Rublowsky, Sr. Director, Licensing Business Models at F5, has stated, “Organizations going to the cloud want to know that they don’t have to give up their valuable application services to get there. Through the F5 Ready program, customers can keep their trusted security, availability, and acceleration services—even as they evaluate cloud service providers, combine technologies from multiple vendors, and look to scale additional application resources to public cloud environments.”
This program verifies compatibility with many cloud service providers, including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Bluelock, BT, Cisco Intercloud, Datacom, Dimension Data, Microsoft Azure, Rackspace, and SingleHop. Brian Singer, Senior Vice President, Products and Marketing at Orbitera has said, “Building and running our applications within AWS is key to modernizing our data center, and core to driving a more agile business that responds quickly to our customers’ needs. Now with F5 BIG-IP virtual editions directly available and verified within AWS, we are able to extend our existing F5 skills and policies to ensure the performance, availability, and security of our cloud-based applications.”
The post F5 Ready Program appeared first on Cloud News Daily.
Gartner expects five years for hybrid cloud to reach productivity: Are they right?
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Gartner has released its latest hype cycle for emerging technologies, and while the likes of autonomous vehicles and the Internet of Things sits atop the peak of inflated expectations, hybrid cloud computing is a bit further down the line heading straight for the trough of disillusionment.
The analyst house groups a bunch of technologies in three different stages and heavily influenced by its nexus of forces – mobile, social, cloud and information. Hybrid cloud comes under the digital marketing banner, whereby enterprises focus on new ways to reach consumers. Other technologies in this bucket include IoT, machine learning and gesture control.
For the ‘post-nexus’ stages, Gartner describes the first as digital business, whereby physical assets will be digitalised and will become equal actors in the value chain. Wearables, virtual and augmented reality and quantum computing form part of this sector. The second, autonomous, defines an enterprise’s ability to leverage technologies that, in essence, replace human capabilities.
Betsy Burton, Gartner vice president and distinguished analyst, said: “We encourage CIOs and other IT leaders to dedicate time and energy focused on innovation, rather than just incremental business advancement, while also gaining inspiration by scanning beyond the bounds of their industry.
“As enterprises continue the journey to becoming digital businesses, identifying and employing the right technologies at the right time will be critical,” she added.
According to Andy Soanes, chief technology officer of Bell Integration, Gartner is right to be putting hybrid cloud five years away from the vaunted plateau of productivity, citing the recent move from Netflix to shut down its last on-prem data centre to go all in on public cloud.
“Finding the sweet spot, where the business is gaining the maximum benefit from a perfect balance of on-premise IT, private cloud and public cloud services, can be extremely difficult,” he said. “A business must be able to identify its ‘crown jewels’: those applications where failure, or losing control of data, would have catastrophic consequences.”
He added: “On the other hand, IT should be wary of excessive caution, keeping applications in-house when it no longer benefits the business to do so. Losing control of an application, or putting the organisation at risk or failing compliance, is an understandable worry.”
For James Butler, chief technology officer of Trustmarque, hybrid cloud should be on the CIO’s mindset as soon as possible. “Taking an incremental approach to hybrid cloud gives CIOs a platform to lead real business change from the centre, and avoid being bypassed or replaced,” he wrote in this publication back in June. “By driving the strategy and promoting the positive benefits of cloud, CIOs will reduce risks and maximise investments; rather than simply ignoring cloud and falling behind.”
Soanes stresses the importance of organisations needing to get their house in order. “An IT department that knows the services it has, the services it needs, and the changes it has to make to get there, will be able to identify its perfect cloud sweet spot, where the crown jewels are kept in the business, but the IT department’s energy is not spent performing housekeeping for low-risk, low-value applications,” he said. “This will be where IT services are providing the maximum value to the business, regardless of where they actually reside.”
Read the full Gartner hype cycle here.
Reliability matters in the cloud: Check the performance markers
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Cloud vendors claiming to be the “fastest” or “best performing” deserve a little scepticism. While speed and performance can appear impressive if conditions are aligned in a particular way, it doesn’t mean they will hold up in the long-term.
For companies searching for the right cloud provider, data on performance expectations is essential as it relates to picking the right host, managing scalability, and effectively spending on resources. Companies can use the following three tips to correctly gauge cloud performance and reliability.
Get the most out of every pound, euro or dollar
In the best case scenario, you want reliable performance at a fair price while also escaping any hidden costs that may ruin the true ROI. You want servers that can offer superb disk read performance and disk write capabilities while also performing well under varied test scenarios.
For instance, ask for test data that shows the servers’ I/O profile for both large and small block sizes. Review several comparable pieces of hardware to find outstanding performers. Why does this type of performance matter?
Here’s an example: If you are running a SQL Server database that typically works on 64k blocks, you want a server that offers consistent storage, reliable performance and no additional charges for provisioned input or output operations per second (IOPS). You want the perfect mix of fewer required resources and transparent costs.
Focus on efficient decision making
Remember the book “The Paradox of Choice”, which explores choice overload and why offering too many options is detrimental? The same issues apply to picking a server.
Some cloud providers offer many server choices, which can lead customers into selecting one that has too much RAM in order to meet another criteria such as having enough CPUs. Aim to find a vendor that doesn’t bury you under a mountain of canned server sizes, but rather lets you choose the server capacity that best suits your workload.
You also want the flexibility to choose the amount of CPUs or memory that makes sense for your business – similar to how you would purchase traditional servers. Spend less time reviewing dozens of server configurations and more time focusing on app and services development.
Scalability and predictable performance are crucial
While performance testing can help you understand the best way to scale an application, a conclusion can’t be reached without understanding how the platform reacts to spikes in its capacity.
Performance metrics from reputable third-parties, such as CloudHarmony, can be used to compare a range of cloud servers to a bare metal reference system. You want to be sure this performance metric improves linearly with the addition of CPU cores.
Understanding this server performance data can help you make the most of a cloud portfolio; it will give you peace of mind to know ahead of time that you can add resources to a VM before requiring more hardware, and that you can reduce costs too. If you choose cloud hardware that can scale both up and out, you’ll be in the best situation to plan your scaling events.
Performance metrics only show a moment in time, but having a long-term performance profile allows companies to make educated choices while still lowering costs.